Ramon Espada Discusses USC vs. UCLA
By "Big Dog" Benny Henderson Jr., Doghouse Boxing (Nov 15, 2012) Doghouse Boxing
-
|
Tonight
at the LOS ANGELES ATHLETIC CLUB, at 431 WEST 7th Street, in Los
Angeles, CA, LOS ANGELES ATHLETIC CLUB, will host their 3rd Annual Black
Tie Collegiate Event, promoted by Espada Boxing. The eight card event
will feature top notch amateur boxing as cross town rivals, USC and UCLA
take center stage, along with many other boxing programs across the
states. Presenting the event, is boxing’s very own, good guy, Ramon
Espada. In this exclusive interview, Ramon will give his thoughts on the
event as well as toucing on other subjects in the boxing world, enjoy.
Benny Henderson Jr.
You have the event coming up tonight, USC vs. UCLA, collegiate boxing at
its best, this is actually your third event of its nature. How did you
come up with the concept?
Ramon Espada
It is kind of funny how the whole thing came together. I was training a
kid who was in college, we spoke about boxing and I mentioned that I
wanted to open up a club. A couple of weeks later he came back with the
paper work, and we started the club. We started off with three members,
now we are up to around fifty. That was the start of collegiate boxing
here in souther California. They did have a team at UCLA, but that was
prior to 1960, so it has been a while. There are a lot of schools
involved. it is pretty exciting to see how this thing is evolving.
BH
I have to ask this, we know the whole rivalry between USC and UCLA, and
we know when two opponents get in the ring, they are fighting for pride,
honor and so on. but when these collegiate boxing events, with the
colleges competing against one another, does it sort of bring more
excitement, maybe more passion in the ring, than just your average
amateur bout?
RE
Absolutely, there has been two matches so far, this is our third event,
and USC is up 2-0, and I can tell you that it is pretty heated stuff. It
is a great thing, I would compare it to the whole Mexican vs. Puerto
Rican rivalry in professional boxing.
BH
Are you a USC or a UCLA fan?
RE
You know what, (laughs) because of my involvement with both schools I
root for them both. I was assisting UCLA to help keep their club going
for a while, they have a new head coach now, they are doing great and I
wish them all the best. I am committed to USC, so if I had to choose to
be a fan of either, it probably would be USC. They are all a great bunch
of guys.
BH
You have been involved in boxing for some time now, so in your opinion,
what do you feel the amateur circuit as well as professional boxing
needs to better itself.
RE
You know something, that is really good question. I would say, for the
amateur, I would have to say exposure, there is definitely a lot of love
for boxing in the amateurs. There are a lot of great gyms and people
involved volunteering their time to the sport. I think those people
deserve the credit, there are so many people in this country that you
will never hear of, but they are the ones who built the foundation of
boxing and helped a lot of kids become great pros today. I do not
believe they get the credit they deserve for their time and dedication. I
love the amateur game, it just feels more pure.
BH
What can the fight fans expect from tonight’s event?
RE
They can expect some great match-ups, we have West Point coming out,
Texas Southern, The University of San Francisco, a lot of great
programs, who are passionate about boxing, the people can expect a lot
of bang for your buck. They come to win, it is three round bouts, but
they give it their all, they leave it all in the ring.
TICKET INFO CALL 213.630.5255
DOORS: 530PM
FIRST BOUT: 730PM
LOCATION: 431 WEST 7TH STREET, LOS ANGELES, 90014
--
Questions or comments please email crazzedtrucker@aol.com
Tweet the Big Guy at https://twitter.com/#!/BennyHenderson
And for more info check out www.facebook.com/bennyhendersonjr
Visit the IMPROVED Doghouse Boxing Forums (Login with your Facebook or Twitter account - Now Mobile, Ipad, Blackberry, Android & YouTube Friendly) DogPound
NEW: Follow Doghouse Boxing on FaceBook! For more Boxing News 24/7 and so much more... visit our homepage now!
|
|